In an attempt to advance the study of followership and present followership in a positive light, experts suggest several practical perspectives on followership. These perspectives are intended to help organizations understand followers and to help individuals understand the positive facets of being a follower.

When viewed from a less leader-centric perspective, leadership can be seen as something that occurs among followers as a result of how they interpret leadership. This places less emphasis on the personality of the leader and more on followers’ reactions to the leader.

Although not true of all followers, proactive followers are committed to achieving the goals of the group or organization to which they belong. Rather than being passive and blindly obedient to the wishes of the leader, these followers report asserting themselves in ways that are in alignment with the goals of the organization. They put the organization’s goals ahead of the leader’s goals. The advantage of proactive followers is that they guard against leaders who act in self-serving or unethical ways.

Being engaged, active, and challenging are identifying characteristics of effective followers. But followers who challenge the leader can also help to make an organization run more effectively and successfully. When followers have knowledge about a process or procedure of which the leader is unaware, the followers become a strong asset both to the leader and to the organization. They become extra “eyes” to make sure the leader sees the organization from another angle.

In addition to challenging a leader, it is equally important for followers to support the leader. To advance an organization’s mission, it is valuable for leaders when followers validate and affirm the leaders’ intentions. A serendipitous outcome of being a follower is that in the process of following you learn about leading. Followership gives individuals the opportunity to view leadership from a position unencumbered from the burdens and responsibilities of being the leader.

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